Top Gun treatment at Wings Over Houston air show

I hope that sometime within the next few days I can get the soundtrack from “Top Gun” out of my head.
Hearing Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” over and over isn’t so bad, but after making three trips in four days to Wings Over Houston, I’m ready to move on. Or am I? In my head I’m still seeing incredible aerobatic maneuvers, smelling the oily smoke and feeling the 4-G pull from a media flight in one of the AeroShell AT-6 Texan trainers.
If you were among the tens of thousands who attended the show last weekend, you know what I’m talking about. If you missed it, you might want to consider putting next year’s show on your calendar. Wings Over Houston is an absolutely incredible experience.
This year’s show featured the famed U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter jets, the AeroShell aerobatic team and the amazing bi-plane stunts from legendary pilot Sean D. Tucker.
Mixed with the sleek fighters and stunt planes were the graceful old warbirds of World War II, including a B-17 and B-25s.

Dick Cole, 101, last Doolittle Raider

Speaking of World War II, this year Wings Over Houston was graced by the appearance of 101-year-old Dick Cole, the last surviving member of Doolittle’s Raiders. Cole was Jimmy Doolittle’s co-pilot and helped lead one of the most audacious and daring missions in aviation history. The raid was America’s first strike at the Japanese mainland following Pearl Harbor.
The attack on Pearl Harbor was re-created by the Tora! Tora! Tora! reenactment group. It’s a spectacular show-stopper featuring a variety of replica WWII aircraft, ground troops and lots of really big explosions. That show alone is worth the price of admission.
Heading into the weekend I had not planned to spend so much time at the show. Media day was Thursday with the arrival of the Blue Angel F-18 Hornets and the F-35s. It was an honor to get to interview Cmdr. Frank Weisser of the Blue Angels and Mgr. Will Andreotta, pilot of one of the F-35s.
Weisser hails from Atlanta and is on his second tour of duty with the Navy’s flight demonstration squadron. He flew with the team from 2008 to 2010 before being deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2013 he was stationed in Germany and flew for NATO. Earlier this year he returned to the squadron where he flies plane No. 6 in the opposing solo position.
“Anyone who flies F-18s off an aircraft carrier has the steel to be in the Blue Angels,” he said, noting previous deployments with the aircraft carriers Roosevelt and Stennis.
Andreotta is the Air Force’s F-35A Lightning II Heritage Flight Team Commander and pilot, 56th Fighter Wing out of Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. He comes from Arizona and three generations of military veterans.
“I always knew I wanted to serve my country,” he said.
He can’t hide the pride he feels flying the latest generation of stealth fighter jets.
“My favorite thing is that other people can’t see me,” he said. “One of the things I like (about the F-35A) is how much I can see.”
After the interviews I was pulled aside by the media coordinator and asked if I’d like to take a media flight Friday afternoon. There was a spot open on the B-17 if I wanted it. I did! The next day, my scheduled tightly juggled, I returned to the airport to report for my flight. One of the other reporters was assigned to the AeroShell aerobatic planes and didn’t feel comfortable with that and asked to trade spots. Having had numerous media flights in a variety of aircraft, I was more than happy to oblige. The old bombers are loud and lumbering. I love the thrill that comes from doing stunts.
I got to fly with team lead and co-founder Mark Henley in plane No. 1. The four planes did some formation flying alongside the B-17 before splitting off and doing a 4-G loop and a 3-G barrel roll and another stunt before landing again. During the stunts, the G-forces were so strong I couldn’t lift my arms, let alone my camera to take pictures. I just pointed the lens up in my lap and snapped a few shots.
I spent Saturday at Dave Ramsey’s Smart Conference at Grace Community Church, almost next door to the airport. We could hear the planes all day and during breaks we could sneak out and watch them.
On Sunday I took my two boys to the early service at church and the out to Ellington for the second day of the show. The sights, sounds and smells were mind-blowing. I shot about 1,200 pictures during my three days at Wings Over Houston and had a very hard time winnowing it down to the ones you see in the paper and online.
You can bet that the whole time I was going through those pictures that “Danger Zone” was playing in my head. Before I sign off, I’d like to say a quick thank you to Scott Tims for coordinating everything; the hundreds of volunteers who made the show run smoothly and to pilots Frank Weisser, Will Andreotta and Mark Henley for their generous time and entertainment. And one last shout-out to Kenny Loggins for singing such a great song!

Broncos and Texans share interesting history

Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler prepares to throw the ball in a preseason game last year against the Houston Texans. Osweiler defected to the Texans this year for a $72 million contract, becoming one of many players to play for both teams.

Up next for our Houston Texans are my Denver Broncos.
While I most certainly count myself as a Texan fan, I bleed Bronco orange and blue. I was born and raised near Denver and my family has had season tickets since the 1980s. Living in the Houston area for more than eight years and having liked the Texans from the start, I consider myself to be a huge fan, though they remain my No. 2 team.
Denver and Houston have quite an interesting history together. When the Texans were formed, they borrowed pretty heavily from Denver to get started. Over the years they have shared numerous players and coaches – most notably head coaches. Gary Kubiak and Wade Phillips have coached both teams. When the Texans dumped them last year, the Broncos picked them back up and went on to become Super Bowl champions.
When Payton Manning retired, Brock Osweiler was set to take over as the Broncos quarterback of the future. The Texans, however, had other plans and lured him away. You can bet Osweiler will be the target of a very focused and angry defense when the teams meet Monday in the Mile High City.
A lot has been said about Osweiler’s defection to the Texans. I’d say $72 million was a good reason to go. Denver could have matched it and kept Osweiler in orange, but they had other economic issues to deal with, primarily former Texas A&M Aggie Von Miller. The Super Bowl MVP threatened to sit out the last year of his contract unless the Broncos renegotiated. The Broncos kowtowed to his demands to the tune of a six-year, $114.5 million deal.
I’d like to examine the impacts of that deal for a minute. Before the ink was dry on the paper Miller signed, pundits were agog at how Miller made the mighty John Elway blink. As a quarterback, Elway led the Broncos to five Super Bowls and two championships. As general manager he has led the team to two more Super Bowls and another championship.
There are huge differences between Elway and Miller. As a player, Elway was often forced to carry the team on the strength of his passing arm. It didn’t take him long to learn and understand that football is a team sport and it takes more than a really good quarterback to win championships. He voluntarily restructured his contracts, taking less money and extending payments to free space under the salary cap to allow Denver to surround him with better players. The result was back-to-back titles.
Miller had just the opposite perspective. He got greedy. Rather than honoring a contract, he threatened to sit out. Rather than being committed to the team and to winning, he looked out only for himself. He forced the Broncos to bow to his demands. As a result, he got the money, but he’ll probably never play in another Super Bowl again.
The Broncos will not be able to afford the players necessary to field a championship team during his tenure. They are also led by a player who put his own interests above that of his teammates. Believe me, that attitude will affect in the way they perform as a team. Greed and envy are contagious and corrosive. Although Osweiler was lost to the Texans before the Broncos negotiated with Miller, Elway had to clearly know that he would have to choose between the two. There’s no way he keeps both for the money they were demanding.
Based on their performances so far this season, I think Elway kept the better player. Unfortunately it came at a very steep price. It will be very interesting to see how the two fare when they meet on the playing field. Not only will Osweiler be facing a formidable foe on the gridiron, but he will be battling the noise of 76,000 jilted fans. Trust me, the stadium will be exceptionally loud every time he takes a snap.
Broncomaniacs are hardcore, unforgiving and relentless with betrayers. I’ve seen it many times. I’ve been a part of it. I will be again in my own way in my own living room. It’s the only time I’ll root against the Texans. Admittedly though, it’s getting harder to do, especially after the comeback victory Sunday over the Colts. I’ve never been this closely bonded to a No. 2 team.
With the Super Bowl coming to Houston this year, it is my hope – my dream – that one of these two teams is playing in it; winning it. That’s still months away. Monday night is all that matters for these two teams now. Our Texans and my Broncos – woo-hoo!

This column is not ready for print

Not ready for print.
That’s the very first thing I write on every story I pen for publication. As soon as I create the Word document, I type out those four simple words. It’s a helpful reminder to me that I haven’t finished writing a story, no matter how obvious it may seem. It’s also a warning to aggressive copy editors who come seeking my deadline-busting prose before I’m ready to send it.
I started writing that little note about 15 years ago after an editor went into my folder and grabbed stories that looked ready but were not. I was unaware of the maneuver and was horrified to see incomplete and unedited stories under my byline in the paper. It was embarrassing.
More recently I’ve continued the trend not to ward off any eager editors but to deal with my own forgetfulness. When you’re writing multiple stories, starting and stopping, editing and revising, it’s easy to forget if a particular story is completed or not. As soon as a story is finished, I erase my note and replace it with a suggested headline.
No note: Check.
Headline in place: Check.
OK, it’s good to go.
Being forgetful is an ever-increasing problem as we age. It begins with most males fairly early in life. The most recent scientific studies have shown that forgetfulness in men may be caused by wedding cake. The minute a man becomes a husband he starts to forget things. The last I checked, I was a husband and have been for a long time. I forget exactly how long but I’m sure to get reminders as our anniversary rolls around – or on by…
I’m pretty good at forgetting the usual stuff. What day is it? What time is it? Where are my keys? Have you seen my glasses? Was that today?
I’m also very good at forgetting unusual stuff. I often wash my hair twice in the shower because I forgot I had just washed it. I forget to bring things to my wife just moments after saying I’d get them. I forget to fill up that gas tank before heading out of town.
I have some papers sitting on my desk that I told my wife I would turn in at a Scout meeting about two months ago. I recently went to make some hardboiled eggs. I put them on the stove and, well, the rest is history.
I keep thinking I should see a doctor about my memory problems, but I forget to make an appointment. Maybe I did make an appointment and forgot to go. Oh well, it’ll come to me sooner or later.
The worst thing I’ve forgotten was my baby. About 23 years ago during my first marriage, my wife and I would meet at the health club to exercise after work. Typically, the first one done would take the baby home with them. After our workouts we went home and were fixing dinner. Noticing how quiet it was, I asked where Heather went. That’s when we realized that each had assumed the other brought her home. I raced back to the health club, walked into the nursery and nonchalantly picked her up like normal. No one was the wiser for it.
Of course, with all my forgetfulness, it’s funny the things I do manage to remember. One of those things is an old meme on Facebook that says, “When a man says he will do something he will do it. You don’t have to nag him every six months about it.” I showed it to my wife. She didn’t laugh. In fact, I can still feel the burn from the glare she gave me. Maybe that’s why I remember it so well.
Anyway, it’s about that time to wrap this up and declare this column ready for print. At least that’s what I intend to do if I can just remember what I did with that little zinger I was going to use to finish this column with.

Skeeters sweep Atlantic League championship

Believe it Skeeters fans; our team is the 2016 champion of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball!
In just five years of existence the Sugar Land Skeeters have risen to rule the league!
When you stop and think about it, it’s an amazing accomplishment for a team that was 35-35 and five games out of first at the end of the first half of the season. This same team came on strong in the second half, building a three-game lead before hitting a terrible skid and sliding toward the brink of being eliminated from post-season play. Then came a four-game sweep of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs and a dramatic dive at home for the clinching win that ended the season on a high note and powered the Skeeters to a 6-0 sweep to win the Freedom Division and ultimately the Atlantic League.
The Skeeters went 10-0 at the end, eliminating the Blue Crabs from playoff contention, sweeping the York Revolution for the division and downing the Ducks of Long Island for the championship. From what I understand, the Skeeters are the third team to go undefeated in the Atlantic League playoffs and the first to go 6-0 as previous playoff formats included best of three games, not the best of five they played this year.
I’ve been a fan of the Skeeters since the inaugural game in 2012. This year was my first year to cover them for the paper, and what a year it has been. It’s been a huge honor to get to know so many people in the Skeeters organization from Manager Gary Gaetti to his players, the front office staff, seasonal employees and especially many of my fellow fans. I was able to make it to 31 games this year, including all four home playoff games.
I’ve been a big fan of different sports teams over the years but this is the first time I’ve felt like I was part of the team, as the Skeeters have been so incredibly welcoming and accommodating this season. I hope you had a chance to come out and be a part of this amazing team during this incredible season. More importantly, I hope you’ll be out to support them next year as the Skeeters seek to defend their crown.
I’m still in a state of awe this year over the success of my favorite teams. I am first and foremost a Denver Broncos fan and they are the defending Super Bowl champions. Now the Skeeters have gone and won it all. Please don’t pinch me because if this isn’t real, I don’t want to wake up from this dream.
A superstar visitor
One of the things about being at independent league baseball games is you never know who’s going to show up, especially when there are sons of Major League stars on the team.

The Sugar Land Skeeters have Patrick Palmeiro, the son of Rafael Palmeiro (Cubs, Rangers, Orioles), and Jeremy Barfield, the son of Jesse Barfield (Blue Jays, Yankees). Rafael Palmeiro played a few games last season with the Skeeters and his son. Jesse hasn’t played for the Skeeters but occasionally comes to Constellation Field to watch his MVP son play ball. That was the case Sept. 21 during the second game of the Freedom Division Series.
I stopped playing photographer after the first few innings and took my seat next to my wife behind home plate. That’s when a friend sent me a text to tell me that the guy sitting next to me across the isle was Jesse himself.
Between innings, I leaned over the rail, introduced myself and asked if he wouldn’t mind a brief interview. He very graciously agreed. I pulled out my phone, turned on the voice recorder and started asking questions.
I asked him what he thought of Jeremy’s season.
“He’s put together a very, very good season and I’m very proud of him,” he said. “He’s persevered and done what he’s had to do.”
With Jeremy Barfield capturing several single-season records for the Skeeters and earning the Most Valuable Player award, is it likely that he will be offered a contract by a Major League team?
“I think so,” he said. “There’s not much more he can do at this level. He did what he had to do and we’ll see what happens.”
I asked him if he knew what it would take for Jeremy to get there.
“I guess they were talking about consistency. He showed them he can be consistent so hopefully they’ll take notice,” he said.
What has he been doing since his playing days with the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees?
“I still do a lot of stuff with both teams, alumni and ambassador for the Blue Jays as well, working with the kids and enjoying my family,” he said.
Jesse and his wife were very pleasant to be with and they openly engaged the fans sitting near them. He helped explain rules and made sure to let folks know when a bad call was made. Jesse signed autographs and posed for pictures. He had a warm, genuine smile and seemed to like getting a little attention despite the distraction from the game.
It was a real honor to get to know him and it has been a load of fun meeting Jeremy and watching him play this season. As much as I’d dearly love to see Jeremy in a Skeeters uniform next year, I hope for his sake that he finally gets his chance to play in the Majors because he has worked hard, proven himself and deserves his chance in the show.
At least for now Jeremy has something that his father and his brother Josh (a former player with the Padres, Indians and Orioles) don’t have: A championship!